The present invention relates to an image read apparatus, an information processing apparatus, and a system constituted therewith and, more particularly, to an image read apparatus which reads an image together with information relating to the image and processes the image by using the information, and an information processing apparatus which controls a display device to display the read image, and a system constituted with the image read apparatus and the information processing apparatus.
A film scanner is known as an embodiment of an image processing apparatus for inputting an image recorded on a film to a device which displays the input image. A conventional film scanner has been developed for a 35 mm film. As a cartridge film conforming to an advanced photo-system (APS.TM.) (referred to as "APS.TM. film" hereinafter) has been developed for practical use, a film scanner capable of reading image recorded on the APS.TM. film, as well, has been developed.
On the APS.TM. film, an image can be recorded in three different sizes: an H-type (high-vision type; length: breadth=9:16); a P-type whose length is shorter than that of the H-type (panoramic type; length:breadth=1:3), and a C-type whose breadth is shorter than that of the H-type (so-called Leica size; length:breadth=2:3). A user can select the desired size out of the three, then photographs an object. Further, various information (IX (information exchange) information), such as image sensing conditions, can be recorded on the APS.TM. film magnetically or optically.
An example of a conventional film scanner is explained. The conventional film scanner first scans an image in a low resolution at high speed, and after the scanned image is displayed on an external device (this processing is called "previewing" and the displayed image is called "preview image"), an area of the image to be read in a high resolution (main scan area) is designated on the preview image. Then, image data, read in the high resolution, of the image in the designated desired area is applied with predetermined image processes and transmitted from the film scanner to the external device.
FIG. 49 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of a conventional film scanner 1001 capable of reading an image recorded on an APS.TM. film.
In FIG. 49, reference numeral 1008 denotes a film holder for holding an APS.TM. film (simply called "film" hereinafter) as a transparent original image. The film holder 1008 is configured movable in the sub-scanning direction (shown by an arrow a) by being driven by a sub-scanning motor 1012. The film holder 1008 has a protuberance (not shown), and an initial position of the film holder 1008 in the sub-scanning direction is detected by the sub-scanning position detector 1013 by detecting the protuberance. Then the detection signal is inputted to a system controller 1004. In turn, the system controller 1004 operates the sub-scanning motor 1012 via a sub-scanning motor driver 1011, thereby the film holder 1008 is moved back and forth in the sub-scanning direction shown by the arrow a.
When a light source 1007 turns on in accordance with the operation by a light-source on/off circuit 1006 in response to an instruction from the system controller 1004, an optical image which passed through the film further passes through a lens system 1009, and incidents on a CCD linear image sensor (referred to as "CCD" hereinafter) 1010 where the optical image is converted into an analog electric signal. Then, the analog electric signal is amplified by a predetermined gain and applied with clamping processing in an analog image processing unit 1453. The processed analog signal is converted into a digital image signal by an analog-digital (A/D) converter 1031. Thereafter, the digital image signal is applied with various image processes by an image processing unit 1033 at high speed. Thereafter, the processed digital image signal is temporarily stored in a line buffer 1035 for a while, and it is transmitted to an external device 1005 via an interface (I/F) 1036.
The system controller 1004, the image processing unit 1033, the line buffer 1035, the I/F 1036 and the system controller 1004 are connected to each other via a system bus 1038, and the system controller 1004 controls these units.
Note, the image processing unit 1033 provides an operation signal for operating the CCD 1010, and provides a sample-and-hold control signal for sampling and holding an input signal to the A/D converter 1031.
FIG. 50 is a flowchart showing an operational sequence of the film scanner 1001 and the external device 1005.
First in step S1001, previewing processing is designated. More specifically, the external device 1005 initiates a driver software stored in the external device 1005 in advance, and transmits various control information, such as type of film, area to be read, and resolution to be used, to the system controller 1004. In the previewing processing, the area to be read is an entire image recorded on the film and the resolution is set low.
Next, the system controller 1004 prepares for the previewing processing by setting the information provided from the external device 1005 in step S1002. Thereafter, the process proceeds to step S1003 where the system controller 1004 receives information from the sub-scanning position detector 1013 and controls the sub-scanning motor driver 1011 so that the film holder 1008 is moved to a predetermined initial position. Then, the system controller 1004 issues an instruction to turn on the light source 1007 to the light-source on/off circuit 1006 in step S1004. In the proceeding step S1005, the system controller 1004 issues an instruction to output timing signals, such as a CCD operation signal for reading one line of an image, to the image processing unit 1033.
Next in step S1006, scanning is performed. More specifically, the image is read line by line by exposing the CCD 1010 for a predetermined period of time while driving the sub-scanning motor 1012 at a predetermined speed, and predetermined image processes are performed on the obtained image data by the image processing unit 1033. Then, the image data is temporarily stored in the line buffer 1035, and transmitted to the external device 1005 via the I/F 1036.
After scanning the designated area of the image, the system controller 1004 drives the sub-scanning motor 1012 so as to move the film holder 1008 back to the initial position, turns off the light source 1007 in step S1007, thereby the scanning processing is completed. After that, the system controller 1004 is in stand-by state until a next command is received.
In turn, the external device 1005 receives the image data from the line buffer 1035 via the I/F 1036 and sequentially displays it on its display screen, thereby providing a preview image to a user in step S1008.
The process proceeds to step S1009 where the user sets image read (scanning) conditions while watching the preview image on the display screen. Here, similarly to a case where the previewing processing was designated in step S1001, various information, such as type of the film, area to be read, and resolution to be used, is transmitted to the system controller 1004. However, in this case, control information for main scanning operation, namely, area to be read designated by the user, and resolution to be used also designated by the user, and so on, is transmitted to the system controller 1004.
In turn, the system controller 1004 receives the image read conditions from the external device 1005 and performs the main scanning processing under the received image read conditions in step S1010 by repeating the processes in steps S1002 to S1007 as described above.
Thereafter, image data which is transmitted from the line buffer 1035 to the external device 1005 via the I/F 1036 is displayed on its display screen as well as stored in a predetermined storage medium (e.g., hard disk, magneto-optical disk, and floppy disk) in step S1011, thereby the entire processing is completed.
The aforesaid film scanner, however, has been developed for a 35 mm film, as described above, and, in a case of displaying a date, for example, the date which is recorded in the image is scanned along with the image, and displayed in a predetermined position of the displayed image.
Accordingly, even in a case where an image recorded on an APS.TM. film is read, as far as the conventional film scanner is used, the date which is recorded in the image is simply scanned along with the image and displayed. Therefore, it is not possible to erase or move the position of the date in the image without processing the image.
Further, even if the date is magnetically or optically recorded as the IX information of the APS.TM. film, but not recorded in the image, the data can not be inserted in the displayed image. As a result, the user may forget the date when the image is taken.
Further, in the conventional film scanner, a case where an object is sensed against the sun is not specifically considered. Therefore, when an image taken against the sun is displayed on a display screen, it is hard for the user to see it, and the image may not be expressed with desired contrast.
Further, in a conventional image read system configured with the film scanner and the external device for displaying a read image, even if an image which has been scanned before is to be read and displayed again, pre-screening processing has to be performed again, which is a waste of time. After the pre-scanning processing, a user reconfirms the image, then, main scanning is performed. Especially, once the film scanner or the external device is turned off, for scanning an image which has been scanned before, the operation shown in FIG. 50 is performed from the start, which is a waste of time, too.